Tehran [Iran], June 8 (ANI): Iran on Monday reaffirmed that the issue of release of its frozen assets is on the table in peace negotiations with Washington, and that Tehran will pursue the demand in all ways it can, ISNA reported.

The remarks were made by Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei during a weekly press conference.

When asked about the reports that the US is seeking to confiscate frozen Iranian assets for the benefit of regional countries and that it would not release them before an agreement, Baghaei termed these claims as 'propaganda pressure'.

'These claims are part of the war, media and propaganda pressure from the opposing sides.'

As per ISNA, he labelled the claims 'ridiculous' and said, 'This is a ridiculous claim because we are deeply indebted to all regional parties that in any way played a role in the aggression and crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran. We will pursue this demand in any way we can. The issue of Iran's frozen assets is one of the components of any understanding that is currently being negotiated, and there is never going to be any appeasement from Iran.'

When asked if there was a break in negotiations before the latest slew of tensions in the region, Baghaei told the media that exchange of messages continued and added that Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's recent visit assisted in continuing the conversations regarding mediation.

As per ISNA he said, 'The exchange of messages continued, and one of the reasons for the Pakistani Interior Minister's presence in Tehran was to help continue the process of talks and carry out matters related to mediation.'

His remarks come amid major military escalations over the last 24 hours, which have seen multi-city kinetic engagements, airstrikes on strategic installations, and heavy projectile salvos across the region.

Marking a sharp escalation in West Asia, Israel and Iran traded fire on Monday, their war's 100th day, putting its already fragile truce in serious jeopardy and threatening to reignite all-out regional war.

Compounding the maritime security matrix across regional choke points, the Iran-backed Houthis announced they were banning Israeli shipping on the Red Sea, a key shipping lane, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The latest round of kinetic actions, including one on an Iranian petrochemical complex and what Iran's Revolutionary Guard said was the targeting of two Israeli bases, came hours after President Trump reportedly called on Israel to refrain from retaliating against Tehran's missiles.The foundational breakdown of the cross-border truce infrastructure escalated after Israel launched airstrikes at Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, which led to Iran retaliating with its own strike on Israel, then to Monday's attacks and counterattacks.

This sudden re-eruption of hostilities has cast a foreboding shadow over diplomatic efforts to permanently end the war, which originally commenced on February 28. The kinetic escalation severely threatens to derail US President Donald Trump's last-ditch efforts to establish an off-ramp by negotiating a comprehensive nuclear deal with Tehran. (ANI)